tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-303883342014-10-05T04:04:56.476-04:00WanderingsMusings, Inspirations, Ideas, and Stuff by DaveDavehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09023237485060646542noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30388334.post-91877162851138717732011-09-13T22:14:00.007-04:002011-09-14T09:37:57.698-04:00Joe Kubert Art<div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Z3BZYfF-pcI/TnAPYw6zZxI/AAAAAAAAAEg/6UeY5HFEHjo/s1600/Joe%2BKubert.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 259px; height: 400px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5652034450472789778" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Z3BZYfF-pcI/TnAPYw6zZxI/AAAAAAAAAEg/6UeY5HFEHjo/s400/Joe%2BKubert.jpg" /></a><br /><br />So, Diana and I won this art at the Fan Expo convention this past August.<br /><br />It's pretty amazing.<br /><br />The Kubert School was raising money that they donated to the Toronto Sick Kid's Hospital - I can't think of a much better cause than that, and I hope they raised a lot.<br /><br />And the art - well I think it speaks for itself.<br /><br />Amazing.<br /><br />Many, many thanks to Joe.</div>Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09023237485060646542noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30388334.post-17256282687691629862010-11-12T17:10:00.004-05:002010-11-12T17:24:13.381-05:00Inspiration<span style="font-family:arial;">Last week my lovely wife and I had the good fortune to attend the Pillar Community Innovation Awards at the London Convention Centre. <a href="http://www.pillarnonprofit.ca/news_and_events/pillar_community_innovation_awards_2010/">http://www.pillarnonprofit.ca/news_and_events/pillar_community_innovation_awards_2010/</a></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"> </span><span style="font-family:arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">It’s been two and a half years since Diana and I moved to London from Toronto (Diana grew up here in London), and now that we’ve settled in I’ve started thinking about how I can get more involved in the community. We thought attending these awards might be a good way to start learning about what’s going on in the city, and what sort of non-profits are at work here. </span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />In my career, I’ve worked for a few non-profit organizations – the United Way in Toronto and the College of Physiotherapists of Ontario, so could really appreciate all the hard work that all the nominees put forth considering all the daily challenges they face. It must have been very difficult for the awards committee to reach their decisions. The rewards that come with working for a non-profit are so big though that I really came away from the event being inspired, engaged and wanting to contribute more.<br /><br />I was also equally inspired by the people we talked to that evening. There were a few people from rtraction (<a href="http://www.rtraction.com/">http://www.rtraction.com/</a>), a company that is big on supporting the community, and that Diana had worked with so we chatted with them for a little while. We also talked with some people from the Sunshine Foundation (<a href="http://www.sunshine.ca/">http://www.sunshine.ca/</a>), and a friend of ours ended up winning one of the two fabulous prize packages! I was even surprised to find out I knew one of the people who presented the grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation (he and I often share iPad ideas and I noticed him using it for notes when at the podium).<br /><br />By the end of the night I was re-energized and thrilled with what was happening in London and all the good work people were doing. I know that it’s not enough to just pass through this life – I think everyone has an obligation to make this a better world than the one we were born into. It’s just a matter of finding something that resonates within you; something that you can be passionate about, so that when you do whatever it is that you do, your enthusiasm and energy becomes infectious and inspiring to those around you.<br /><br />Now it’s just a matter of finding that for me. </span>Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09023237485060646542noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30388334.post-1289498148696088282010-10-16T08:20:00.003-04:002010-10-16T08:58:28.934-04:00Saturday MorningSo it's Saturday morning. The ladies in my life are still asleep, and I'm bored.<br /><br />Okay, I'm procrastinating.<br /><br />Since the last post about our cat Chloe, she died. She was in obvious discomfort for the last night of her life, and when we describe what happened, people seem to think that she had a stroke, or a series of strokes. After waking up every hour or so in the night, crying out and I'd try to comfort her as best I could, she finally passed away around 7 AM. We were all up and got to say goodbye. It had been tough for the last few months, with her not eating well, but she was wonderful cat, and an addition to our family that is, and will be, greatly missed. I see her every once in a while out of the corner of my eye, and I feel sad and happy at the same time: sad because she's gone, but happy because I loved her and I'm glad she was a part of our life.<br /><br />She was only nine, and I think we got ripped off - we should have had a few more years with her.<br /><br />There is talk about another pet - a Yorkshire Terrier - and I'm fine with that. Diana is a dog person, and it's her turn. I like dogs just fine, but cats have always been my preference. We'll see in the next few months how that works out.<br /><br />Otherwise, as I said, I'm procrastinating. I'm back on the CMA course stuff - in the Strategic Leadership Program (SLP) that lasts for around two years. It's all case work stuff (individual for the first year, group for the second), and I have an assignment due this Friday night at 11:55 PM. I've been reading the materials, and this weekend I'll start to writing it, but it's Saturday morning, and I don't feel like working on it right now.<br /><br />I also don't have any computer games to distract me - which is good. I got Civilization 5 (Civ V) recently and have played through a game where the English Empire (me) took over the world by 1957, thus ending the game. And the game just didn't grab me. The Civ games never really have. A little bit maybe, but I've never found them to be particularly challenging, and after a few games, they just get repetitive. I know some people live, love and breath the game; I'm just not one of them.<br /><br />Of course, Fallout: New Vegas comes out this week (I have pre-ordered it so I get some bonus stuff) and I'm alternately looking forward to/dreading that one - because I'll want to play it, but I have my CMA stuff to do.<br /><br />I've also been turned off of computer games a bit, with my experience with Starcraft 2. While playing the game my graphics card burned out, and I had to get a new one. When I went to the forums (my first mistake - actually, my only mistake) and explained what happened, I got a) no support from Blizzard who made the game, and b) berated by other gamers who told me my computer must have been the problem (it wasn't). I've gone back to my general rule of not communicating with gamers online.<br /><br />I'm also trying to work on a writing thing, and have a couple of weeks to get that done. It's self imposed, but I've started and want to push myself to finish it. I should probably be doing that now ...<br /><br />Well, my daughter just got up and is now watching Saturday morning cartoons, and wants me to join her. I'll take my iPad (what an amazing machine!) and read some of my CMA stuff on it (reading pdf's on it is a beautiful thing), and we're off to the start of a great weekend.<br /><br />Despite all the other stuff, life is great.Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09023237485060646542noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30388334.post-11286225731204514352010-07-02T21:06:00.005-04:002010-12-07T18:30:07.409-05:00My hopeThough I am loath to say it aloud (or type, as the case may be), things have settled down a bit for me.<br /><br />It's been a whirlwind since the end of August - when I started my Saturday course with the CMA. That finished up at the end of March, but then I had to start studying, and taking the prep course for, the CMA entrance exam. I wrote that exam a couple of weeks ago, and have around six weeks to wait until I get my results. (I think it went okay - I find it's tough to say when all the questions are multiple choice.) When I get my results, I'll know what my next step is: either move on to a two year Strategic Leadership Program, or (and I hope this isn't the case) re-write the exam.<br /><br />Other than that, things are good. Our daughter "R" - or "Arr" for fun - has finished Senior Kindergarten, and is looking forward to Grade 1 in the fall. In the meantime, she'll be going to daycare full-time in the summer, which she's okay with.<br /><br />My lovely and amazingly talented wife "Dee" has been hard at work on her graphic novel, and it's coming along fabulously. It's a labour of love for her, and it shows. I can't wait to see every page as she finishes it.<br /><br />The only other tough thing for me right now is our cat - I'll just call her Chloe (it's her real name). She's not been eating well and has lost some weight (and she didn't have a whole lot to lose), and I didn't realize how upset I've been about her state until tonight. I went to the vets this morning to return some food that she initally loved, but then when I bought a whole case of it, she deemed it unworthy. I got some dry food, but one that's supposed to be easy on her stomach as she's been throwing up her regular dry food. Well, she ate a good amount of the new dry food, and was sleeping contentedly on the couch like I haven't seen her do for a while. Watching her resting like that made me realize how worried I've been about her, and how glad I as that she seemed happy.<br /><br />It didn't last. About a half an hour later, Dee heard Chloe's signature "I'm gonna throw up" meow, and she did.<br /><br />I hope we're not back to square one; I hope Chloe just ate too much, too quickly and that she'll settle down and eat normally and gain back some weight. That's my hope.Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09023237485060646542noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30388334.post-40151573844181480182007-09-02T20:39:00.000-04:002008-12-11T05:48:49.765-05:00To Silly For Words - part 3<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_20xBMpvK_Ts/Rt6t1_gZi4I/AAAAAAAAAAU/DTx5f3vpXo8/s1600-h/heroes+fan+2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5106710170576718722" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_20xBMpvK_Ts/Rt6t1_gZi4I/AAAAAAAAAAU/DTx5f3vpXo8/s320/heroes+fan+2.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_20xBMpvK_Ts/RttYUfgZi3I/AAAAAAAAAAM/6ow6s8u50QQ/s1600-h/Heroes.bmp"></a><br /><br /><div>Not to many words, 'cause, you know, a picture is worth a thousand of them ...</div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div></div></div>Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09023237485060646542noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30388334.post-82344419005515711292007-08-31T21:16:00.000-04:002007-09-19T14:33:38.463-04:00To silly for words - part 2On Friday, August 31, 2007, some of the cast and production members of the tv series Heroes came to Toronto. If you read the post below this one, you'll find out that I was able to get a wristband that secured some facetime with these people. This is that story ...<br /><br />I left work around 11:45 - the instructions I received with the wristband said to get there around noon, and no later than 12:30. By the time I walked from my office to Dundas Square, it was around 11:55. I (with the assistance of a Best Buy employee) found the lineup for people with wristbands, and, with my iPod earphones firmly planted in my ear, waited.<br /><br />It actually didn't take that long for things to start to happen. Rick the Temp (from City TV originally, but now I think City's been bought out by Global, so I guess he's with Global now - okay, 'cause this is what the 'net is all about, I did some quick research and found out that Rick is now with ET Canada) came out on stage, introduced the whole thing, had a clip from the shows' creator, Tim Kring, which was interesting, then brought the stars out for a Q &amp; A. I listened and enjoyed what they had to say, but having only watched one episode, I wasn't really getting into it as much as some people were.<br /><br />After the Q &amp; A they took some photos, set up the tables for the stars to sign at, and started letting my lineup on stage in groups of five. After a few minutes, after having a security guy look through my bag, I got up on stage, and the first person to sign was Jeph Loeb (he's the co-executive producer/writer). Jeph was the main reason I was there (Tim Sale - the comic/graphic novel artist didn't make the trip to T.O.), and as I came up to him I asked if he had a moment to sign a Long Halloween page (this is a page of original artwork from the comic book "Batman: Long Halloween", written by Jeph and illustrated by Tim Sale).<br /><br />"You've got a Long Halloween page? Here?" he asked.<br />"I do", I replied, and then extracted the page from the portfolio I had brought. I placed the page down on table.<br />"Wow, what's that?" a cheerleader behind Jeph asked.<br />"It's an original page from a comic I did" Jeph replied, eyeing the page. "Do you have a pencil?" he asked me.<br />"Pencil?" I looked in my bag. "No, I don't think I do."<br />"I don't want to sign this with a sharpie. A pencil is best for paper like this." He turned to one of the many people standing at the perimeter of the stage. "Can you find me a pencil?" he asked. The women he spoke to turned and immediately went off stage to look.<br />"I'll keep the page here, if you're okay with that, you can get your DVD signed, and then come back around here until someone finds a pencil." Jeph indicated a spot for me to come back to - right beside him on the stage.<br />"Sure, thanks, I don't mean to cause any trouble" I stammered apologetically.<br />"No, no trouble at all. I just want to sign it in pencil."<br /><br />I thanked him and went to the next person seated at the table. While Jeph and I were talking, a few more people, included the cast members looked over at the page now right beside Jeph. I got the DVD signed by the four actors, and talked to them briefly (Zach Quinto was very pleasant - I asked him if he was having troubles with the eyebrows (for his upcoming role as the young Spock), and he said no, not all, but he wondered if he'd have eyebrows at all (Nimoy's eyebrows were mostly eyeliner in the original series), and James Lee was as well - they're going to a Jays game Friday night. Noah was a little bit shy, and Dania didn't seem to want to talk too much – maybe she was shy too?). Then at the end of the table, as the security guy was about to herd me off the stage, Jeph stood up and waved me back over to him.<br /><br />I walked back across the stage, through the line of other fans getting autographs, and stood next to Jeph at the table. They were still looking for a pencil.<br /><br />"Got any other stuff in there?" Jeph asked, seeing that my portfolio obviously did.<br />"Sure, you want to take a look?" I took the portfolio out and set it next to him on the table. The security guy gave me a look, but Jeph started to flip through, and the security dude relaxed.<br /><br />Jeph looked through the portfolio, and when he had to sign another DVD, I flipped the pages for him to look at. We kept a conversation, him commenting on the various pieces I had (he loved the Tim Bradstreet cover, and said that he liked Diana's artwork (I had a few of her pages in there for some reason)).<br /><br />A woman showed up with the pencil, and as Jeph was signing it, said that it was a really nice page, and Jeph, with great pleasure, said that it was actually a pivotal page in the story.<br /><br />"Yeah," I piped up, "it's where Two-face realizes that ..." then I looked a Jeph. "Why am I explaining your story?" I asked both myself and him.<br />"No, that's right", he allowed me graciously. "Harvey realizes that he can't go back."<br />"And than Glinda was behind it all along. Is that right?" I asked him.<br />"Exactly. When did you get this?"<br />"Well, my brother got it for my wife and me in ..." and I looked at the page where Tim Sale had signed and dated it, " '98."<br />"Oh, so Tim did sign it."<br />"Yes but I've never met him and I was hoping that I could thank him personally. You'll have to mention to him that I was sorry I didn't get to meet him."<br />"I will."<br />"Thanks," I said, sticking out my hand, "it was a pleasure to meet you. And thanks for all of this", I said, motioning to the stage and the cast.<br />"It was nice meeting you." Jeph shook my hand warmly with a smile, and I finally made my way off the stage, receiving slight smiles and nods from the security dudes.<br /><br />I think it was apparent to Jeph that, for me at least, he was the star that I most wanted to see today. And he was, and this is the most apt way to put it, genuinely tickled to see that page.<br /><br />How cool is that?<br /><br />If I find any pictures, I'll try to post them here.<br /><br />And, BTW, I'm experimenting with what I think are kinda different styles of writing, so feel free to let me know (nicely) what you think.Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09023237485060646542noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30388334.post-16356377865203701032007-08-28T22:36:00.000-04:002007-09-19T14:33:58.309-04:00Heroes DVD; to silly for words ...I have never watched an episode of "Heroes". I think I may have recorded it on our PVR (if you don't have a PVR you need to get one right now - go ahead, run out to Futureshop and get one - I 'll wait for you ...).<br /><br />Okay, now that you've done that, I can continue.<br /><br />So. Never watched an episode of "Heroes". Why? Don't know. Didn't have the time is most likely the only reason I can think of. Anyway, many people have been dumbfounded at this, seeing as it is pretty much right up my alley. Nonetheless, I knew that when it came out on DVD Diana and I would jump onthe bandwagon, try to watch as much as possible before the second season started, and then go from there.<br /><br />This week the DVD came out. I did web-research and eventually determined that the place that had it for the best price was, unfortunately, Best Buy. I do not enjoy dealing with Best Buy. I have pre-ordered a number of items from them (as they often have the best price, and also often have cool bonus stuff - like the DVD of 300 that came with a Spartan helmet), but there have always been problems and I end up getting it at the store, completely defeating the purpose of buying over the internet. So I don't like 'em. Never have. Just a feeling.<br /><br />Anyway. Best Buy had the best price for the Heroes DVD. Not only that, but they had a collector's version (for the same price as the regular version) that included an exclusive comic. So I didn't really have much of a choice.<br /><br />Well, they had something even more: the Heroes World Tour (<a href="http://www.nbc.com/Heroes/heroesworldtour/">http://www.nbc.com/Heroes/heroesworldtour/</a>). If you were one of the first 100 people buying the DVD you could get a wristband that would get you access to the actors on August 31 and get your DVD signed.<br /><br />If anyone reading this knows me, then you know that I am a collector. Occasionally an obsessive collector. I call them "Quests". When I find a Quest, I have a difficult time doing anything other than the Quest. The Quest can be for an item (a bottle of Sam Neill's wine), or a service (getting my sympatico high speed working properly), or whatever. It's not always logical - okay rarely is it logical - but there's not much I can do about it. But I try not to have to many Quests.<br /><br />So I was thinking about this wristband. Did I want it? Yes. Did that make sense? No. Would I be able to get it? Most likely not. I have full time job, I've been off a few days sick (feeling better now -thanks), and I couldn't really justify coming into work late just so I could get a wristband that would entitle me to get signatures from actors in a show I've never watched. So I let it go. No big deal.<br /><br />Tuesday morning, August 28, 10:20 AM. Best Buy has been open for 20 minutes. I'm at work, and decided to call them. Finally (five minutes of transferring) spoke to someone:<br /><br />"Do you still have copies of the DVD with the comic?"<br />"Yes."<br />"By chance, are there of those wristbands left?"<br />"I don't think so."<br />"Would you mind checking? - I'm just a few minutes away."<br />"They're at wristband number 72. If you can get here in a few minutes, you might be lucky."<br />"Okay. Thanks."<br /><br />I'm out the door. I get there in about three minutes. Get my DVD with a comic. Woman approaches me, asks if I'd be interested in a wristband. "Yes, thanks."<br /><br />I'm number 74.<br /><br />What a geek. I've never watched the show, but I'm going to get my DVD autographed by actors I've never seen. Does any of this make sense?<br /><br />But Jeph Loeb (co-executive producer/writer) and Tim Sale (graphic novel artist) are also supposed to be there - the writer and artist for the Batman Long Halloween series. I've got an original page of artwork from that series, and I'm going to try to get them to sign it.<br /><br />I'll let you know how it all turns out.Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09023237485060646542noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30388334.post-76141145602321361182007-06-14T06:47:00.000-04:002007-06-14T15:41:13.919-04:00What I would love to do ...Sam Neill has a vineyard in New Zealand (<a href="http://www.twopaddocks.com/index.shtml">http://www.twopaddocks.com/index.shtml</a>). That's what I'd like to do. I think it would be incredibly cool to own and operate my own vineyard. This is the sort of thing I would have done with that $ 40 million that someone won last night. And write. I think that's the sort of life I really should have. Writing and wine. Could it get much better?Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09023237485060646542noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30388334.post-87372266604794873172007-05-29T06:57:00.000-04:002007-05-29T12:37:46.934-04:00Pirates 3So I had yesterday off, and decided to see Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End. I also had a free pass (see "Grindhouse" below), got pop and popcorn using my Scene card, and used my metropass to get to the theatre. So total $ spent to see the movie: 0. Which in the end, makes me feel okay about spending three hours (including trailers) in the dark.<br /><br />The short answer: it was okay.<br /><br />The long answer: Depp, Rush and Richards were worth seeing. And Kiera Knightly, but for different reasons. Depp, Rush and Richards clearly enjoyed what they were doing, and that came across on the screen. Depp and Rush are (IMHO) excellent actors, and when you have excellent actors, they can make the whole thing worth while, and that's almost the case here. But Pirates falls into the trap that is Hollywood (at least lately), which is: If it makes money, keep making it! It's no secret Hollywood is having a hard time finding good stories, so when they stumble across something that does well, they milk it for all it's worth. To me, unless it was meant to be a trilogy, don't force it. The Lord of the Rings movies were intended to be three films and it worked. The Matrix was not intended to be three films, and it shows. Same for Pirates, and I think that is also part of the disappointment of the second and third films. The first one was so good - it came out of nowhere, no one had any high expectations, and it was wonderful! Thoroughly enjoyable! And it made a lot of money. So of course, the studio says make more! And they should have just left it alone.<br /><br />Okay, enough of that, for now at least. Back to the movie. So two of the four main actors did a great job. Knightly and Bloom were eye candy, and while I like Bill Nighy, he was under so much make up (or CGI makeup) that to me he doesn't (or didn't) count. And Chow Yun-Fat is always wonderful to see. But the story meandered this way and that, and I got confused as to who was doing what and how and who they screwed over to do it, that I eventually stopped trying to follow it and just hoped that in the end they tidied it all up. And they kinda did. And they left it open for another film, if they want to (which could actually be a lot of fun). But for me (a hopeless romantic at heart) the ending didn't satisfy. Now I didn't know to stay until the end of the credits (I saw the movie by myself and was anxious to get home), and as it turns out there was a little something that was tacked on the end of the film, so if I had stayed, maybe that would have made me feel better. But I also found out that that wasn't the intended end of the film - the writers had additional stuff that was cut, and if that stuff had been in the film, I might have been more satisfied. Maybe I'll see if that's on the DVD.<br /><br />Visually, the movie was stunning. The effects are top notch, and top notch nowadays means seamless, and that's what it was. The fights were mostly over the top, but still enjoyable. I'm glad they gave Keira Knightly a little bit more to work with in this film than they did in the second one, but then they don't stay true to the character at the end. And I'm finding Orlando Bloom just disappointing. He was wonderful in the Lord of the Rings films, but since then, he hasn't held up. Is it him, the roles, the director? I don't know, but he's just not able to pull of the role (he's supposed to be THE HERO in the Pirates films, right? And we all know who we really love ...). So for that, it all falls apart.<br /><br />In the end though, it was fun. I still think they should have left the first film stand on it's own, but Captain Jack is such a great character, I was happy to spend more time with him.Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09023237485060646542noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30388334.post-21154747436478018692007-05-05T08:18:00.000-04:002007-05-05T13:54:47.051-04:00Spidey 3 - My ThoughtsOkay, so Diana and I took Friday off and went to see Spider-man III at 11 AM - in IMAX. We got there around 10 AM and there was already at least 30 - 50 people in line, as the theatre had not yet opened (like many of the articles I read said - it's not a matter of if Spidey 3 is going to be number 1 at the box office - it's just a question of how much is it going to make? - A lot I think!).<br /><br />Anyway, got into the theatre, found good seats (essential when watching an IMAX movie), and waited a half an hour for it to start. No trailers, which sucks, and the anticipation ....<br /><br />When the lights finally came up (and thank god because I had to desperately go to the washroom), I was .... a little disappointed. It was still good, don't get me wrong. Better than X-men 3, which I think lacked the soul that Singer gave the first two films film, but certainly not as good as the first Spider-man film, and I think I enjoyed the second film more as well. All the main characters were very good. In fact, all of the actors were enjoyable to watch in the roles, but the writing just seemed, well there was maybe a little bit too much of it. Too much explanation (we're not stupid - you don't have to go all George Lucus on us and spell everything out - mitichlorines - I hated that!), maybe too much dialogue, and maybe, just possibly, they didn't need all the villains.<br /><br />Diana and I were concerned about that - to many villains. Think about the first four Batman films: they kept on upping the number of villains until the movies were about the villains, and not the Batman. So it's kinda possible that Spidey 3 suffers a little bit from that. Don't get me wrong - what they did they did very well. The visuals of the Sandman and Venom were spot on, and the actors portraying those characters did an excellent job, but maybe they could have left one of them out, or used them in the (inevitable) next film.<br /><br />I must say that J.K. Simmons (J.Jonah Jameson) and Bruce Campbell (the Maître d’) were hilarious and almost stole the show (and perhaps they even did).<br /><br />Regardless (not irregardless, which is not a word), we still enjoyed it, and it's a better film than most, but in comparison to I and II, this is probably the weakest of the films.<br /><br />I would still recommend seeing it though. There's no doubt that we enjoyed it.Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09023237485060646542noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30388334.post-4602810496793161732007-04-13T05:23:00.000-04:002007-04-13T14:20:36.822-04:00A Grindhouse Experience!So my brother and I went to see Grindhouse on Tuesday night, and it was, well, an experience.<br /><br />To give you a bit of a background on this, there are a few things that you need to know about me. You see, when I was in high school I got a job - my very first "real" job because up until then I had only "worked" as a paperboy - as an usher at a movie theatre. You have to understand that when I got this job was around 25 years ago (Oh! My! God!), and the theatre I worked at had one, yes count them, one screen. I was fifteen years old (now you know how old I am - don't tell anyone - and my birthday is in December, so I'm not actually THAT old yet, but will be soon), so I was not old enough to watch restricted movies yet. Nonetheless, the first movie I worked for was Cujo (restricted), and actually the theatre I worked at (aptly named the Cinema Theatre) in Kitchener, Ontario used to be called the Fox Theatre and had the reputation for showing edited X-Rated films. While I worked there only one of those edited films made it to the screen before my underage eyes - Marilyn Chambers in "Up 'n Coming". And while I was supposed to walk up and down the aisles every half an hour or so my manager insisted that I keep my eyes off the screen. Of course one night when the assistant manager was working, he and I just watched the whole thing!<br /><br />Hmmm, I think I was digressing there a bit.<br /><br />Anyway, I worked at movie theatre in the mid 1980's. And I saw it all. People sleeping in the theatre, turning away drunks (especially during Oktoberfest!), taking booze away from people (but I always gave it back), and also the technical difficulties: the film getting jammed and burning up on the screen, no image but the sound was on, the film breaking and screen going white, reels getting mixed up (I wonder if an explanation is necessary here? Okay, I'll try not to be too long. In the theatre I worked at (and all theatres at the time), there were two projectors for each screen. The movie came in 20 minute reels, and you would put the first reel on one projector, and then 20 minutes later have to do a "change over" to the other projector with the second reel, and then flip back and forth until the movie was done. It was often on these change overs where problems would occur, so it was also my job to keep and eye out when the change over happened, and then run like hell up to the projection booth if there was a problem. They didn't happen often, but occasionally.) etc. etc.<br /><br />When Kev and I went to Grindhouse, I already knew that the film makers had tossed in a few of those things - the film getting stuck and burning up, a reel goes missing, and so on. So when we got to the point where the film got stuck and vaporized, that was kind of cool. A few minutes later when it flashed on the screen "missing reel", that was kind of fun too. But then when the screen went dark, but the sound was still on, I kinda thought they were throwing too much at us all at the same time. Nonetheless, it was "Grindhouse" so what they heck - we went with it. The sound was still on, so we could hear the film, and in a way I thought it sort of novel to have the film still progressing, but not showing us what was happening (I remember Stephen King saying that the mind can come up with much more horrible stuff than what can be shown on the screen.). But it went on for a little bit too long. And then some people (because we all sat there for a few minutes thinking "Hey, it's Grindhouse.") got up and walked out, and then a couple more. And then some people came back and grabbed their coats. And then someone said "it's the same in all the theatres - it a blackout", at which point we got up and left, getting free movie vouchers in exchange for our tickets. And I was laughing, and laughing and laughing. My brother was disappointed - he had really wanted to see the second movie by Tarantino, but I just couldn't stop laughing!<br /><br />Anyway, I don’t know if we’ll get to see the film again, but nonetheless, I enjoyed my Grindhouse experience!Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09023237485060646542noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30388334.post-1151595702985427902006-06-29T11:32:00.000-04:002006-06-29T11:42:59.436-04:00Superman ReturnsSo I saw Superman Returns yesterday with my wife, Diana. We both really enjoyed it. All the actors were good, and Kevin Spacey was just excellent. The action scenes were good - some were really, really good, like the plane sequence - and while there were a few holes in the story, it was good fun, sufficently close to the comics (that was one thing that bugged me about Superman 2 - all of a sudden he (or the other other Kryptonians) has these weird powers - I have to see it again though) that the fanboy in me was satisfied, but at the same time brought some new things to the character that have been there, just not played up as much as they were in the film. But it worked, and made sense, and possibly made me feel some sympathy for the character of Superman more than I ever had. Overall, very good, worth seeing, and we'll probably go see it again (maybe in 3D).<br /><br />Also, I had a conversation with a coworker this morning about the gay themes that have been reported about the film. I didn't see them. But as he pointed out, the themes of alienation and aloneness really run through almost all comic characters (look at the Spider-man films, yet there are no accusations of Spider-man being gay). So I didn't see it, and kind of think it's all silly.<br /><br />Of course, I did say to Diana that Christopher Reeves would never have left Lois.<br /><br />DaveDavehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09023237485060646542noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30388334.post-1151500451474480262006-06-28T09:06:00.000-04:002006-06-28T09:14:11.476-04:00First TryOkay, this is a first for me. I've had the idea to do this for a while (I even purchased a URL a few years ago, but did nothing with it), but finally, I've been inspired to give this s try. Might not last, who knows? My wife has a blog, and a number of my friends. Why not me?<br /><br />I called this "Wanderings" because I have no intention to be consistent. I'm just going to wander all over the place. Maybe talk about comics, or my ride to work on the subway (This morning it was packed, there was a guy in a wheelchair by the door who kept on rolling out to let the people off, and at one stop a bunch of people jumped in after he moved out, and then a couple of people who had been on the train basically kicked people off so the guy in the wheelchair could get back on. Then a woman who was standing in front of me practically collapsed and no one would get out of their seat for her! She ended up just getting off the train - the guy in the wheelchair had to move out for her.), or I might put some of the sketches from my sketchbook up here (not sketches I've done, but sketches from comic artists).<br /><br />Who knows what will show up here? This is also an excercise to get me write some more - something that I really want to get myself to do.<br /><br />Anyway, I hope you enjoy, and feel free to let me know what you think.<br /><br />Thanks,<br /><br />DaveDavehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09023237485060646542noreply@blogger.com0